John Randolph

Dr. Judy P. Byers, editor, and Patricia Musick, principle illustrator, were on hand to sign copies of the book, “Mountain Mother Goose: Child Lore of West Virginia”. Decades in the making, the book is based on the child lore collections of Dr. Walter Barnes and Dr. Ruth Ann Musick, both retired Fairmont State faculty members.

Dedicated to the spirit of childhood, the new book “Mountain Mother Goose: Child Lore of West Virginia” is a collection of jingles, jangles, rhymes, riddles, games and lesson stories chanted and sung by children of Central Appalachia on the playground; recited in one room school settings; and echoed in backyards and churchyards throughout the small villages and farms that dotted the hills and valleys of West Virginia. Stretching from the early 20th century practically to its end, this collection of melodies traces the regional attitudes and traditions of American children at play.